I have received the news today that Dr Tim de Maayer has been placed on precautionary suspension with the reasons cited that the suspension comes as a result of his statements in the open letter.
On 22 May 2022, the media published an open letter in which Dr De Maayer pointed out the poor and unacceptable state of the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital. He exposed, among others, how their tomography scanner had been broken for three months, how the toilets looked when the water was off and how “hospital-acquired infections spread like wildfire”.
I visited the hospital and have seen many of these poor conditions first hand. I have spoken extensively to the media about the conditions of the hospital and have made attempts to assist where I can, to improve the state of the hospital.
We cannot live in a world where pointing out flaws exposing inhumane conditions by good people are met with unjust punishment. This hospital is dealing with humanitarian issues and these issues need to be known and need to be addressed publicly and honestly for the thousands of people making use of this facility. This is another example of how facilities are being run without truth and transparency and I cannot stand for that.
In the event that Dr De Maayer was indeed suspended for the open letter he penned, I call on the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital to revoke the suspension with immediate effect and to begin treating our honourable and ethical healthcare workers with the respect they deserve. The culture of victimising whistleblowers must also end.
I met the CEO of the hospital and we agreed that they will deal with the issues and I committed that myself and my office would assist where we can. We refuse to agree with the unfair action taken against Dr De Maayer for speaking the truth while those who are misusing public funds are treated like royalty.
People like Dr De Maayer are committed people who work overtime, with a patient ratio that is considerably higher than the average recommended ratio and who work with far fewer resources than they should be afforded, while in many instances still delivering a high-quality service. He acted like a patriot who loves this country and he is the kind of person that our country should celebrate.
We cannot allow someone who speaks truth to power be punished.
I stand with Dr De Maayer and further call on the MEC to not only look into the suspension and take decisive action against the officials who issued the suspension.
ENDS
For media queries, please contact:
Ewan Botha
Deputy Director: Communications and Stakeholder Management
In the Office of the MMC for Health and Social Development
083 664 0805
10/06/2022
